Father, son are brothers-in-paving

Thursday

DAYTONA BEACH -- Magdeleno and Silverio Rodriguez have realized the American dream as they prepare Daytona International Speedway for "The Great American Race."

Magdeleno, 58, and Silverio, 32, work for Lane Construction, which specializes in repaving major racing facilities.

Lane is the primary contractor for the Speedway's mammoth repaving job, which started July 5 and must be finished Dec. 31 or sooner. The Speedway hopes to jam the January calendar with a variety of testing dates.

Magdeleno, Silverio and other family members emigrated from Durango, Mexico, in 1986 because, Magdeleno said, he wouldn't have had the same opportunities to work in his home country.

Rodriguez, a widower, plus two sons and three daughters settled in Texas. Magdeleno went through the naturalization process and became a U.S. citizen 10 years ago, and Silverio became a citizen five years ago.

"I didn't have any idea what NASCAR was before I came to the United States," Magdeleno said, with help from translator Efrin Delatorre. "After I came over, I knew what it was. I like watching the races on television."

Magdeleno came to work for Lane Construction in the late 1990s. When Silverio was old enough, his father helped him land a job with Lane as a laborer.

Together, Magdeleno and Silverio have repaved a dozen major racetracks together. And Magdeleno has been to a few races at Texas Motor Speedway, where Silverio started his construction career -- with a shovel in his hands.

Seven years later, just before Lane Construction repaved Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2003, Silverio was named as the paving crew foreman.

"He got the job because he learns so fast," said John Rauer, Lane's project manager. "I lost my foreman just before Homestead and picked Silverio. He definitely got tossed in the fire."

When Silverio was named foreman, he became his father's immediate supervisor. Magdeleno said that is not a problem.

"I'm so proud of Silverio," Magdeleno said. "He went to school and learned English. I got him (an entry-level) job and look where he is today."

There is just one rule: They don't share a room when they are working on the road. They have been here since July.

"We get along pretty good," Silverio said with a chuckle. "We're not sharing a room here. That would be a little difficult. We spend enough time together at work."

Silverio is at the heart of Daytona's frantic repaving efforts of the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

He bears the brunt of the hands-on responsibility to get this job done. Not only does he manage the paving crew, but he is also tasked with getting things done right and on time.

"(My job is) to make sure that when the track gets paved, the asphalt is good," Silverio Rodriguez said. "I make sure all the equipment is running right and everything is in place. I make sure everything is where it needs to be."

Rodriguez performs a delicate balancing act of making sure there's enough of the right asphalt being applied the correct way to the Daytona racing surface, considered hallow ground by NASCAR faithful.

"His responsibilities are the whole paving train," Rauer said. "Ordering the hot mix, making sure that mix gets down at the right grade, right depth and making sure it's smooth."

The engineers at the North American Testing Company, the construction arm of ISC, are familiar with Rodriguez's vast responsibilities.

"He is guiding the ship," NATC engineer Martin Flugger said. "He gets his guys where they need to be and tells them what they need to be doing. He orchestrates that daily activity."

For the last few weeks, Lane has concentrated its efforts on paving Turns 3 and 4, which are banked at 31 degrees.

"It isn't anything new to me," Silverio said. "It's nothing we haven't done in the past. It's a matter of getting used to (working a slope) again.

"It's 31 degrees. It's nothing new. Talladega was 33. Hopefully, we'll get it done. It is a challenge. It's not an easy job. We know how to do it."

One of the parts of that paving train is the roller, which trails the newly laid asphalt mix. The roller, held on the slope by a bulldozer and cable system, compresses the hot blacktop.

Magdeleno mans that roller. There have been several 12-hour work days at Daytona.

"It's not easy to be on the roller all day," he said. "When they have to refill the water storage on the roller, I can get a bathroom break.

"I bring a cooler with food and water, and I stay on the machine most of the time. It's not easy, but it is good work."

Magdeleno said working the Daytona high banks is not frightening, even though his roller, which weighs several tons, is tilted at a steep angle. He said the first day working the slope at Talladega Superspeedway was intimidating.

"On my first day there, it was scaring me," he said. "I'm not scared of it now I'm used to it now."

You could say the Rodriguez family story embodies the American dream of turning sweat equity into a better quality of life.

Magdeleno said he found a better life here than he ever could have achieved in his native land.

"You never know what will happen," he said. "Yes, I have a better life. Yes, I am proud to be an American."

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